I hate to admit this; but, the 17" CRT in my Zenith Chromacolor II is dying. It's an inline gun 17VBDP22 and I've already rejuved it once. It started slipping again and a second rejuv attempt just made it worse. So, if anyone has a good CRT they would be willing to part with; please let me know! The TV is fine otherwise and I'd hate to junk it. I know I'm getting old when Zenith Chromacolor CRT's start failing!

000

This one takes B&K socket CR18. The only 17" system 3 tubes I've seen took CR20. Anyway, I zapped this tube a third time (didn't figure I had anything to lose) and it's now producing a semi-decent picture. Don't know how long it will last; so, please remember me if you find a tube.

BTW, in my experience, the early Zenith inline tubes didn't hold up as well as the delta tubes.

The 17VBDP22 is a one-of-a-kind dog.
No subs. The electron gun made for that tube was only for that tube, it won't function in any thing else.

Maybe VDC has one sitting in their warehouse ?
I remember a few TV repairmen ordered that tube, then they never picked it up, saying the set wasn't worth it.

Wish I could help. Maybe this tube is the exception to the Chromacolor lifespan rule since its an unusual one. Bet that set has a tn of hours on it though for the crt to be gone

Wish I could help. Maybe this tube is the exception to the Chromacolor lifespan rule since its an unusual one. Bet that set has a tn of hours on it though for the crt to be gone

I'm sure this set has a good bit of hours on it. It looks to have come from a fairly clean home; so, I can't tell by the amount of dirt inside. When I got it, I had to replace the chroma module and the 10uf, 350V cap in the B+ supply to the video circuit. I was a little shocked to see that it still has the original tripler. Those are usually the first thing to go in this part of the country.

I played the set for hours last night after the third rejuv and the picture didn't get worse. Actaully, I think it might have improved after playing the set for several hours. I turned it on again this morning and it still looked OK. Hopefully, the rejuv will last long enough for me to find a good CRT. I'll probably check with VDC to see if they have one. It may be a little expensive; but, I'd rather spend "x" amount of $ on a quality set than on some chinese garbage from walmart.

000

Well, I just fired off an email to VDC. Maybe they'll have something.

If not, I wonder if Scotty can rebuild it? It sounds like the guns are special to that tube though. You're right, you would be better off fixing the Zenith instead of getting something newer. I also have a 17" Chromacolor II, I love mine and would invest the money if I had to. Hopefully, you will either find a NOS tube or at least a good used one. Good luck to you.

Well, I finally heard back from VDC and the tube can only be rebuilt at a cost of $89 + S/H. I really don't know how to properly pack a CRT for shipment or what it will cost to ship; so, if anyone has any ideas, I'm all ears.

Well, I finally heard back from VDC and the tube can only be rebuilt at a cost of $89 + S/H. I really don't know how to properly pack a CRT for shipment or what it will cost to ship; so, if anyone has any ideas, I'm all ears.

Email them back and ask what's the best way to pack a CRT?

Styrofoam insert's in every corner of the box, wrap the CRT in bubble wrap (3 layers or so) and tape. Then fill each side with packing peanuts and wrap tape around the tube and the styrofoam to hold it in place. Main thing IMO is to make sure that the crt doesn't slide around in the box, no matter which way it is placed (upside down, on the sides, etc) This is risky though and there is no sure way to do it the way they toss around boxes.....

i think you'll have to put a sturdy bucket or something on the neck to keep it from being crushed if someone dumps something heavy on your box.

Given the strong possibility of tube damage; I may wait until the set becomes unwatchable to send the tube off. At least I have something now, even though it could be better. If the tube gets smashed, I'm just out a TV.

000

Since CRT rebuilding is a dying art, time may be of essence. I'd take advantage of the $89 rebuild before VDC decides to stop doing rebuilds.

I wonder if VDC does Sony tubes?

Haven't thought of that. But, other than us collectors and maybe (just maybe) pro/broadcast monitors, who is still rebuilding CRTs? Certainly not worth it for the average consumer anymore. Used to be profitable when the chassis would outlast 2 or 3 crt's. Now....well.... VDC may very well stop rebuilding soon, good point.

Haven't thought of that. But, other than us collectors and maybe (just maybe) pro/broadcast monitors, who is still rebuilding CRTs? Certainly not worth it for the average consumer anymore. Used to be profitable when the chassis would outlast 2 or 3 crt's. Now....well.... VDC may very well stop rebuilding soon, good point.

Yes, that's a good point. I think new/rebuilt CRT's are a thing of the past and have been for years as far as consumer equipment goes. The local parts house used to have a bunch of old CRT's. Many of which they priced as low as $20 and still could not sell them. They moved the CRT inventory to their gulf coast location and they all got destroyed during Katrina. The owner told me that it got to the point where the only CRT customers he had were the hospitals for use in their in-room TV's.

A friend of mine who fixed TV's during the '70's told me that the shop that he worked for bought rebuilt 23" CRT's for $35 each and the shop charged $200 for a CRT replacement in a console color TV. Back then, people didn't blink an eye because a new console cost at least $500. Now, a new CRT is likely to cost the repair man 2 or 3 times what a new TV would cost. I had a nice 36" Toshiba console with a dead red gun. I priced a new CRT and, IIRC, it was over $1K. The fact is that companies don't want consumers repairing their sets. They want them to buy new TV's. That's why repair parts are often unavailable or priced out of sight.

It would be great if VDC would rebuild roundies but I seem to recall somebody checked and they will not. Still some industrial/military/commerical crt uses that will be around for awhile, but that number will dwindle.

A common way crts were originally packed was with a sort of 'egg crate' made to go around the neck. There is an old thread on here which includes a good drawing of what is needed.

It's tempting to have a 23v tube rebuilt, just to have on hand should I ever need it, but that will have to wait for a little fatter wallet.

I ordered a 25VAMP22 from VDC two years ago, for about the same price. It came out just under $100 with shipping. Interestingly, they didn't want the dud tube back, so they may be trying to clear out their inventory of older TV CRTs. Normally you would send your dud tube back in the same box your rebuilt one came in.

Their packaging was fairly simple. The box was sized to match the screen dimensions. A single sheet of bubble wrap on the bottom of the box, and styrofoam inserts in the corners to lock the front of the tube in place. Then they used a cardboard insert the size of the box with a cutout for the neck of the tube that kept it from flopping around in the box. And they shipped by FedEx. The CRT arrived intact, the box undamaged, but the styrofoam corner inserts were broken, and the bubble wrap in the bottom of the box was flattened.
Mike

000

i was in proctorville ohio yesterday.a repairman retired and had things to sale.looked for that tube and he may have it.there were a couple of 17v s but the labels were worn.they are in a barn!you have to walk a rope bridge approx 150 feet to get there.does that tube have a metal mask?if so,he has it.i picked up a 21axp22 that he saved.it checked excellent after we cleaned the pins.if your has the metal masking,let me know and i will retieve it for you next trip.

Good find, Sampson! I figured there must be some good stuff hiding around those parts. If he still has some stuff when we make our yearly trek in the spring, well, I'll have to check it out! We always hit that little flea market in Proctorville.

i was in proctorville ohio yesterday.a repairman retired and had things to sale.looked for that tube and he may have it.there were a couple of 17v s but the labels were worn.they are in a barn!you have to walk a rope bridge approx 150 feet to get there.does that tube have a metal mask?if so,he has it.i picked up a 21axp22 that he saved.it checked excellent after we cleaned the pins.if your has the metal masking,let me know and i will retieve it for you next trip.

That sounds like it could very well be the tube I need. Mine has an inline gun and the neck is smaller than the older delta gun tubes. Anyway, thanks for finding that tube and we'll work everything out once you get the tube. BTW, I don't suppose he'd have an RCA 119834 flyback or a Thordarson FLY312 flyback for an RCA CTC38. I've been trying to find one of those for what seems like forever.

That's not a bad price. It's about what a CRT should cost, considering what a whole TV costs. When did manufacturers start charging more for a CRT than the whole set is worth?

I've been fooling with TV's since around '90 and new CRT's have always been more expensive than the whole TV. The reason for that is the manufacturers don't want people repairing their sets. The best way around that is to price the parts out of sight or simply make parts unavailable. One of my older TV repair friends told me that the first shop he worked for could buy rebuilt 25 inch CRT's for $35 each. He said they later went up to $50. That was back in the '70's when most customers would pay $200-$250 for a CRT replacement. My, how times have changed!